Fight fans are in for a treat this coming Saturday, as the UFC brings the action to Nebraska with UFC Fight Night 135 set to take place in Lincoln. The event is headlined by a potential barnburner between Justin Gaethje and James Vick, while five other main card fights are also expected to provide the fireworks. Read on for a breakdown of each of those six fights below.
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Betting Preview for UFC Fight Night 133 – Featuring the Justin Gaethje vs James Vick Lightweight Bout on August 25, 2018
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska
When: Saturday, August 25, 2018
TV Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass
Justin Gaethje (+125) vs. James Vick (-155)
Lightweight
Gaethje has only fought three times in the UFC, but it’s more than enough to say that he’s all about putting fists and kicks on the bodies of his opponents. Gaethje (18-2-0) has a ridiculous rate of 8.67 strikes landed per minute with a 54.74 percent accuracy. His aggressiveness hasn’t translated to much success in the UFC just yet, where he’s only 1-2, but he has been involved in two Fight of the Night contests already. Meanwhile, Vick (13-1-0) is in the middle of a hot stretch. He’s gone 4-0 in his last four fights, with three of those getting decided before the final bell was sounded. Vick will be highly motivated in this fight. He’s voiced his bitterness over the fact that he’s 9-1 in the UFC but is ranked lower at No, 10 in the lightweight division, than Gaethje, who is No. 7, despite owning a better UFC record.
Writer’s prediction:
Vick shows why he should be ranked higher with a knockout win over Gaethje.
Michael Johnson (-155) vs. Andre Fili (+125)
Featherweight
Johnson has move down to the featherweight division after absorbing losses left and right in his last few fights. His debut in his new division, however, didn’t exactly go the way he envisioned it to be, as he was submitted by Darren Elkins in the second round of their fight last January. It’s still hard to sleep on Johnson, not only because he’s the favorite against Fili, but also since he has wins against solid fighters like Tony Ferguson, Dustin Poirier, and Edson Barboza. As for Fili, he’s got a win streak going on for him, having won both of his last two fights. Fili is still riding the wave of momentum he got from a huge victory over Dennis Bermudez at UFC on FOX 27 back in January. Johnson can’t take it easy against Fili, who has eight knockout wins in his MMA career.
Writer’s Prediction:
Fili extends his win streak with a unanimous decision triumph over Johnson.
Cortney Casey (+120) vs. Angela Hill (-150)
Women’s Strawweight
Casey is out to prove that her replacing Alexa Grasso, who was originally slated to fight in this matchup, is an unfortunate turn of events for Hill. Casey, who will bring a 7-5-0 MMA record into the Octagon this coming weekend, however, has dropped each of her last two fights. She lost to Michelle Waterson and Felice Herrig both via split decisions during that span Nevertheless, she has a tasty three-inch reach advantage over Hill. Hill, on the other hand, is the better striker, as she is a former world kickboxing champion. In her last fight, she demolished Maryna Moroz, landing a total of 114 strikes to her opponent while taking 84 herself.
Writer’s prediction:
Casey earns split decision win over Hill.
Jake Ellenberger (+375) vs. Bryan Barberena (-550)
Welterweight
Ellenberger may be the huge underdog in this fight, but he’s going to mix it up with Barberena in front of the crowd in his native Nebraska, so that’s something that should be taking into account by bettors looking for an underdog to put money on. Ellenberger (31-14-0) hasn’t won a fight since 2016’s victory over Matt Brown. After that, the 33-year-old has lost each of his next three fights – all via knockouts. Barberena (13-5-0) will look to capitalize on Ellenberger’s glass chin with his power. The Glendale, Arizona native has nine wins via knockout to go with three first-round finishes.
Writer’s Prediction:
Ellenberger gets back to his winning ways at last with a decision win over Barberena.
John Moraga (+125) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (-155)
Flyweight
Ranked sixth in his division, Moraga will look to extend his win streak to four wins and strengthen his push for a title fight when he takes on Figueiredo. In his last fight, Moraga punished Wilson Reis on his way to a unanimous win. Moraga (19-6-0) unloaded 46 strikes on Reis, who was also just too tough to quit despite the one-sided nature of the match. Figueiredo, however, is the favorite in this fight, which isn’t really that much of a surprise since he’s been undefeated in 14 MMA fights. He has two knockout wins in three fights in the UFC so far, including a sensational second-round KO of Joseph Morales last February. Moraga excels in taking his opponents down and finding angles to force them into submissions. He has seven knockout wins and five by way of submissions.
Writer’s Prediction:
Moraga wins via split decision.
Eryk Anders (-900) vs. Tim Williams (+550)
Middleweight
Anders had a nice 10-gfight win streak going on for him until he found himself inside the same octagon as former UFC champion Lyoto Machida, who scored a split-decision win last February over the ex-Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker. Anders, who is 10-1-0, possesses a powerful punch, which he used to put Rafael Natal to sleep last year, prior to his loss to Machida. He has six wins via knockout and another by way of a rear naked choke submission. Anders will face Williams, who only has one fight in the UFC, which was a forgettable first-round knockout loss to Oskar Piechota last February. He is 15-4-0 overall in his MMA career, though, and could be dangerous on the ground, with nine submission wins under his name.
Writer’s Prediction:
Anders sends Williams unconscious in the first round with a knockout punch.
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